


trapped

by orphan_account



Series: febuwhump 2019 [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gender Dysphoria, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Trans Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-22 00:49:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17652851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: trans!peter feels trapped in his body until he meets tony stark (while unconscious, of course) who has a hunch on how to help him out





	trapped

Peter tried to convince himself of a lot of things.

Like...it’s not that he had a hard time breathing sometimes, it’s not that he was constantly bothered by what Aunt May always referred to him as, it’s not the bullying, and it’s _certainly_ not that he struggled with feeling validated about how he looked and acted every single day of his life. 

It’s really not. 

Except that’s all exactly what it is, which is what Peter just…he can’t help the nagging in his chest sometimes, like he’s broken, like he’s wrong, like he’s _trapped_ somewhere he shouldn’t be. Because he _was_ , but how was he supposed to come to terms with that? How was he supposed to come to terms with the fact that he’s _different_ from everybody else? 

Nobody else had to deal with this, and definitely not to the extent he had to. God, it was so unfair. He was alone. He couldn’t tell anybody about this, either, because he knew nobody would understand. Guys would tell him he’d never be a real _one of them_ , and surely girls would tell him to shut up and be grateful for the fact that he’s nothing less of what they’d kill to look like. 

He was utterly alone. 

(What Peter didn’t know was that he didn't have to go through this alone. He wasn’t trapped. He wasn’t alone.) 

When Peter was bitten by this fucking spider — that goddamn thing, he’d go back and do it over a million times if he could — he both lost and gained a part of him. Of course, he gained all of his abilities, but with that came a lot of DNA alterations — that most definitely included heightened hormones, and if he was a late bloomer before, he sure as hell wasn’t anymore. 

Now, he looked much more…y’know, how everyone thinks he should look. Proper hips, slender body…don’t even get him started on his fucking chest. 

Every time he saw himself in the mirror, it made him want to gag because the reflexion looking back at him wasn’t him at all.

It was some weird, distorted, wrong, _trapped_ version of him, complete with long hair, beautifully defined features and boobs that even a binder didn’t fully flatten out. 

Now that Peter has these abilities, he _knows_ he has to do something with them — he knows it. He can feel it so deeply, so strongly — even the deepest nooks of his bones contain this knowledge. He has to help others. 

This feeling is probably stronger than his need to be truly himself, even — well, probably. Maybe less prevalent, less pertinent to his daily life. 

And som the big secret is...he goes by Spider-Man. 

Y’know, Spider- _Man_. 

And nobody knows. 

Not a soul.

Nobody knows he’s a girl underneath the suit. Nobody has a clue he has a C-sized chest underneath all of his padding. Nobody has any idea that he has long, dark, flows hair, and a super feminine body, or even a voice that’s way higher than any _regular boy’s_ is, never mind a man like he called himself. 

Nobody’s even speculated it. 

Not until he passes out in the middle of a darkened alley due to his inability to breathe, many thanks to the too-tight binder on his chest and the lack of food he’d eaten lately. 

And…especially not until Tony Stark found him like that. 

When Tony found Peter, bruised, beaten to the core and _unconscious_ , he had no idea what to do. First, of course, he called FRIDAY to send his suit to the alley so he could get this guy checked out, but what the hell was he supposed to do with this superhero guy he’d never met before? He had no idea what Spider-Man’s deal was, nevermind anything about him, and he certainly didn’t know why this dude was passed out down here. 

God, this was _not_ helping his aging heart. 

Soon enough, FRIDAY got a suit over and Tony got this — unconscious! — guy to the Tower, figuring he could probably trust him enough to do so. There wasn’t a lot Spider-Man could really do in regards to harming himself or someone else in the Tower while unconscious, so it was likely alright. Hopefully, anyway. 

Tony distantly knew the doctor who removed the suit from his body and checked him out, but she definitely wasn’t someone Tony knew well to any degree. And it’s not like he’d hire someone who lied about a patient, but… 

“She’ll be fine. She’s got a bit of a low blood sugar situation which is probably why she was unconscious — likely fainted — and a few bruised ribs but no severe head trauma, so we put her on an IV and some painkillers. Weird thing is, it seems she has an incredibly fast metabolism and her chest has already healed significantly, so I’m not too worried about it. Do you…do you know this girl?” 

“Who are you talking about?” 

“The suited girl you brought in about an hour ago, Mister Stark.”

That spiked Tony’s confusion even further. At least whoever it was wasn’t injured or ill too badly, but since when was Spider- _Man_ a _she_? “How old is, uh, she?”

“Early teenager, probably. We don’t have her name or any contact information right now, so it’d be great if you could come downstairs and help us out.”  
~  
When Tony sauntered into the room containing the mystery girl he had yet to learn about, he was immediately stricken with confusion. 

There she was, in all of her superhero glory. 

She.

That was a full-fledged girl, Tony could tell, but thanks to that, Spider-Man made absolutely _no_ sense! This girl had a _girl_ body, long hair strewn all across the pillow… 

Except Spider-Man looked and acted like a guy, he really did, so…so how did this add up? 

Maybe she was just a lookalike, or some dress-up fan. Cos...play? Was that what it was? 

Yes, that made so much more sense! How hadn’t Tony thought of that before?!

Peter opened his eyes for the first time and squinted them back to nearly-shut because the lights were way, way too bright for his liking-

Wait, where was he?!

Oh, God. 

Aunt May was going to kill him. 

Was he in a hospital?! Jesus Christ… 

“Hello?” 

Peter snapped his eyes over to the voice, then froze. Why in the _everloving_ hell was… No, that couldn’t be… 

“Who…”

That was an incredibly feminine voice, too. Tony furrowed his eyebrows. God, this was weird. “Tony Stark. I found you, uh, unconscious in an alley. You’re safe now, you weren’t very ill but it was mildly concerning seeing a kid Spider-Man lookalike laying dead in the middle of an alley, y’know? Anyways, what’s your name, kid? I’d like to know the name of the lady’s life whom I just saved from possible death.” 

Okay, that made Peter elicit a small laugh, but the majority of him felt a rush of anxiety at Tony’s words. He knew everything about Tony Stark, probably, and this was _insane_ , but he didn’t want to tell him the truth, after all! Did Tony fucking Stark really need to know he was… 

He was a freak? 

He was entirely trapped in the wrong body? 

“I - I know who you are, of - of course I do, I - I, thank you so much for helping me,” said Peter softly, giving him a grateful smile. This was both the worst and best day of his life, officially. 

Tony gave him a small grin back. “Name?” 

Peter flushed. “You…you need, uh, need my - my name?” He asked quietly, furrowing his eyebrows. 

Tony’s eyebrows shot up on his face. That wasn’t suspicious at all. “Yeah, I do. I’m guessing you’re not legal yet and I need some sort of guardian to get you from here. Name?” 

Peter chewed on his lip. His aunt would obviously have to come here and pick him up, to which she’d ask for his given name, but…

But how cool would it be for Tony Stark to be the only person who knows his _real_ name? The one that didn’t hold him trapped like a prisoner in a cell, the one he felt so euphoric using…

“Peter Parker, sir.” 

Tony’s head cocked to the side. “Uh huh? Peter…Peter Parker? That’s your name? Your parents liked…different names?” 

Peter tensed once again. “I guess so.” 

“So why were you in that alley? Is there a reason your chest was bruised? Your blood sugar was so low?” 

“I was out patrolling. I suppose the bi - uh, suit was a bit tight tonight. Dunno, really. I don’t think I ate much today.” 

“The what?” 

“The…the suit I wear.” 

Tony took a step closer to Peter, his head still lolled to the side, utterly confused. This kid was _not_ adding up right. 

“Why was it suddenly _tighter_?” 

Peter hesitated a moment. “Do...you really want to know…?” 

Tony nodded. 

“I wear a binder,” he said, looking away from the older man, chewing on his lip nervously. Suddenly all of this medical equipment strewn around the room seemed a hell of a lot more interesting. “I - ‘cause I’m, uh, y’know -” he paused, swallowing thickly. “Uh, trans.” 

“I’m not following.” 

“Transgender,” said Peter, voice a bit louder. “I’m - I’m a boy, but I don’t look like one. Like, at all, I know. But I _am_ one, just…trapped in the wrong body. That’s why I go by Peter - actually, well, you’re…you’re the only person I’ve told? Not like you’d care, I’m sure -”

Oh, Christ. Of course he was! God, that made so much sense! Tony was, honestly, a bit disappointed with himself that it took him so long to figure out — damn, maybe he really wasn’t as intelligent as he prided himself on being. “Uh huh,” Tony said finally, nodding. “So you _are_ Spider-Man, then, mister Peter Parker?”

Peter’s cheeks flushed and his shoulders sagged in utter happiness at Tony’s words. Tony could totally tell, too, and it was pretty sweet to watch. “Uh huh. I am.”

“You’ve done some pretty crazy stuff, kid,” he said, crossing his arms. “Dangerous shit.” 

“I know.” 

“Okay, how about this,” Tony huffed silently, as if thinking. “You go home, get better, all that jazz, then you can arrange something with me and your parents and we’ll figure out some sort of binding suit that’s able to be used during physical activity. Sound good?”

Peter’s heart fluttered at the sentiment, but May…

“My aunt doesn’t know, sir,” he said slowly, “but…something I could bind in - that’d be so incredible -”

“Phone number, kid. We’ll figure something out. Sound good?”

“Yes - _yes_ , thank you so much, I...I don’t know what to say -”

“Don’t mention it, Pete.” 

Despite the bruises, being endlessly broken and beaten and battered beyond belief, it seemed like...like he was being set free. And that was…

All he could do was grin and nod back.

**Author's Note:**

> if you even mildly enjoyed this please don’t hesitate to tell me aaa (they will definitely get whumpier i just wanted to ease myself in lol)
> 
> (also if i got anything wrong — please tell me ! not everyone’s experiences are the same and i tried to play by ear how i think peter would feel :))
> 
> my tumblr is @olrazzzledazzzle, it’s fairly new so it’d be cool to see some people over there !! thank you for reading my genuine word vomit <33


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